


Apartment 7C

by SakuraBlossomStorm



Series: Apartment 7C Universe [1]
Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe, Apartment AU, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Meet-Cute, Romance, Slight Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2016-12-29
Packaged: 2018-09-13 05:19:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9108208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuraBlossomStorm/pseuds/SakuraBlossomStorm
Summary: Ben moves to Pawnee because of work and he hates it. However, when he meets his neighbour, Leslie Knope, he starts to realise that he might have found his home at last.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So! This came about when I saw an adorable apartment AU prompt list on tumblr! I think this is the longest thing I have ever written so a huge thanks goes to supervanillabear31 for beta-ing this for me, I know this was a monster to edit, so I can't thank you enough, you perfect, magical unicorn!

On August 24th, Ben Wyatt moved into Apartment 7C.

It was supposed to be a temporary thing. He had come over from Washington to work for the Governor of Indiana’s re-election bid. His campaign team had been paid the big bucks to be reassigned and run his campaign. However, that meant moving some of the team all over Indiana, including the tiny towns that no one really cared about. After all, their votes counted too.

So his boss sent him over to Pawnee and organised accommodation in a shabby apartment block, overlooking a giant crevasse of dirt, and he was pretty sure he saw a raccoon sneaking into a hole in the side of the building.

Ben made a mental reminder to double lock the door every night.

He didn’t bring too much with him, just enough to survive the next few months. Anything he needed his roommate could always send down for him.

Ben sighed in discontent as he looked around his new home for the next seven months. He had stayed in nicer places than this during his time working as a political consultant. When he worked on a senator’s campaign in Florida, he was put up in a five star hotel with a Jacuzzi on the balcony.

But this… This was a culture shock for him.

He pushed himself up from the old couch in the barely furnished apartment and made his way to the door. If he had learned anything from living in different places every couple of months, it was that getting food and cooking seemed to help and make the place feel homey.

Even if it was basically a craphole.

Ben grabbed his keys and walked out of the door, locking it behind him when he heard a voice coming down the hall.

A woman with a headful of bouncy blonde curls walked down the hall, spinning a set of keys in one hand and talking animatedly down her phone. As she walked past Ben, their eyes locked, and he saw the sweetest blue eyes he had ever seen in his life, and a soft smile across her lips as she stared back at him.

Suddenly, Ben thought he might like it here after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On August 27th, he saw her again.

That time, both of them exited their apartment at the same moment; apparently her apartment was just opposite his at 7B.

“Oh. Hi,” the woman said, looking up at Ben. She was in a long flowing sundress and looked beautiful. “Are you the new tenant?”

“Yeah, I’m Ben,” he said, stretching his hand out for her to shake. She took it, her hand tiny and smooth against his rough, big hand.

“Hi, I’m Leslie. Welcome to the building,” she said with a smile sweeter than honey.

“Thanks.”

“Sorry, I’m in a hurry, but I’ll see you around sometime?” Leslie said as she adjusted her bag over her shoulder and took off down the hall with a friendly wave.

Ben really hoped that sometime would be sooner rather than later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On August 28th, there was a knock at his door.

Ben was sprawled out on the couch with a beer in his hand watching re-runs of Star Trek when he heard the soft noise. He could only assume it was the building manager making sure everything was ok with the apartment. He had left him several voicemails regarding the leaky showerhead in the bathroom.

But when he opened the door, he came face to face with Leslie holding a plate filled with cookies.

“Hi, I made you these to properly welcome you to the building,” she said as she held the plate up proudly.

“Wow, thanks,” Ben blinked in surprise as the smell of cinnamon and vanilla wafted into his nose. “They smell great.”

“Fresh from the oven,” Leslie stated. “I’m sorry I kind of blew you off the other day. I didn’t realise anyone had moved into that apartment yet, and then I saw you come out of it, and I felt terrible. I’m usually a better neighbour than that.”

Ben quickly waved her off. “No, don’t worry about it, I kind of snuck in unnoticed. You want to come in? But I don’t have too much, and the place is still messy.”

Leslie just smiled at him. “I’d love to. I was kind of hoping you’d let me in. These cookies are just begging to be eaten, and my stomach’s been growling the whole journey over.”

Ben frowned and nodded towards her front door. “Isn’t that your apartment right there?”

“Yeah, why?”

Ben couldn’t help but laugh as he closed the door, “No reason.”

He cleared the piles of clothes he had still yet to hang up in the closet and gestured to Leslie to sit down and grabbed her a beer, while she sat the plate down on his coffee table.

“Going for the minimalistic look?” she asked as she looked around the bare apartment.

“I won’t be here for too long. Maybe six or seven months at the most,” he explained as he popped the top off the beer and handed it to her.

“Oh? How come?”

“I’m a Political Consultant, and I’m working on Colquitt’s re-election campaign,” he said as he took a seat next to her. “My job is to travel around where I’m needed, running campaigns for senators and government officials. I haven’t settled down in years, I’m constantly moving here, there, and everywhere. One week I could be in Texas, the next in Georgia.”

Leslie studied him for a second before blurting out, “How old are you?” She quickly clapped a hand over her mouth. “Shit. Sorry that’s so rude of me.”

Ben just chuckled. “I’m 28.”

Leslie brightened up. “Oh, same!” she exclaimed happily. “But wow, 28 and you’ve already travelled so much. That’s so cool. I’ve just stayed in Pawnee all my life.”

“Really?” Ben said as he scrunched up his nose. “But…I mean it’s not exactly the nicest place here.”

Leslie immediately frowned. “You’re wrong. Pawnee is the greatest city in Indiana, maybe even the world.”

Ben almost backed off the couch, sensing that Leslie was extremely over protective of her hometown. “Okay, sorry…I guess I’m not used to all the…raccoons that are around here.”

Leslie pursed her lips. “I guess if you didn’t grow up around here it would be weird. But I love this town, and you know what? It’s going to be my mission to make you love it too, Ben…”

“Wyatt,” Ben cut in. “Ben Wyatt.”

Leslie gave a confident grin. “Leslie Knope,” she introduced herself again as they clinked their beer bottles together.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Ben told her as he took a sip of his beer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On August 30th, he opened his apartment door to see a miniature horse figurine on his doormat.

He lifted it up and analysed the small card attached to the neck of the horse.

_‘Ben,_

_‘This is Lil Sebastian AKA the best thing about Pawnee; he is a treasure and has accomplished so much. I hope you will give him a good home, and hopefully one day you will be able to see the real thing.’_

_‘Love, your friendly neighbour, Leslie’_

Ben had so many questions. First of all, who the hell was Lil Sebastian? And why was he such an important part of Pawnee?

He shrugged to himself as he carried the figurine into his apartment, placing it on the coffee table.

He’d remember to ask Leslie about him the next time he saw her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On September 3rd, she laughed at him.

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” Leslie chuckled softly as she and Ben closed the doors to their apartments at the same time.

Ben spun around with a piece of toast clamped in his mouth like some sort of primal animal. She cackled loudly and slapped a hand over her mouth.

“You in a hurry?” she asked through her laugh.

Ben took the toast from his mouth and grinned as he swallowed a bite. “A little.”

Leslie’s laughter slowly subsided, and she rubbed her side. “I won’t keep you. Going down?” she asked as she nodded her head towards the elevator.

“Yep,” Ben said as the pair clambered inside. “Where do you work?”

“City Hall,” Leslie said as she pressed the button for the ground floor and the elevator jerked with a creaky groan and juddered slowly downward.

“Oh, a government official?” Ben asked, cocking his eyebrow. “Which department?”

“Parks and Rec” Leslie replied. 

The elevator reached the ground floor with a loud clang, and the doors opened. Ben gestured for Leslie to go first, and she thanked him.

“See you around,” She called cheerily, waving at him as Ben walked towards his car.

As he climbed into his Saturn, he couldn’t help but think about the way Leslie’s face looked when she laughed. It was like staring into a bright, expressive ray of sun.

He thought about it for the entire drive to his office.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On September 14th, he went over to her apartment for the first time.

“Nice…place you got here,” Ben said tentatively as he stepped over a birdhouse that was right by the doorway.

“Thanks!” Leslie replied, seemingly unaware of the sarcasm dripping off his words.

Ben took cautious steps over to her couch, trying not to knock anything over. Good lord, how could anyone live like this? It was like a crazy hoarders nest, and her apartment wasn’t exactly big. The stacks of magazines and binders lying around made the place feel claustrophobic and cramped.

But Ben had no choice; his shower finally gave up on life and broke. He was waiting for the super intendant to fix it, but he was struggling to actually get in contact with him to do the job.

If it weren’t for Leslie, he’d be going to work probably smelling like something foul. 

She had heard him cursing and trying to fix the shower himself, and knocked on his door, inviting him over to use hers. She had apparently been up since 4 and was already showered and ready to seize the day.

Leslie showed him where the shower was, and Ben scrambled over a box, yanking his baggy pyjama bottoms up around his hips to stop them from falling.

Ben was soon showered and smelling fresh. He stayed in the bathroom while he dried himself and got dressed in the suit he had brought with him. As he walked out, he was greeted by Leslie laying two plates of freshly made waffles on the table.

“Breakfast?” she asked, gesturing a plate to him. “I can’t function without a plate of waffles to get me started.”

Ben sat down at the overcrowded table. Seriously, how many birdhouses did she need? They lived in an apartment complex for God’s sake. 

But still, he enjoyed the company as they spoke about her job in the Parks Department.

“I love parks,” Leslie bubbled happily as she swallowed a mouthful of her waffles. Ben was startled at the amount of whipped cream she had put on them, but they seemed to keep her happy, and he wasn’t one to complain. “I started there as an intern and then I just kinda climbed the ranks I guess.”

“Being Deputy Director must be pretty cool,” Ben mused as he finished his plate, pushing it to the side.

“It is, I mean it’s hard work, but I love it. It gives me such a rush y’know, like I feel…flushed and tingly when I do my job. It’s just like waves of pleasure all through my body,” Leslie continued with a dreamy expression on her face.

Ben was pretty sure she just described an orgasm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On September 15th, he used her shower again.

“Ow!” he grunted as he stepped on a sharp, pointed ornament on the floor. 

“Sorry” Leslie quickly gasped out, hurrying over to inspect the damage. “Oh, you’re ok. It didn’t break the skin.”

“How can you live like this?” Ben asked as he leaned against the side of the couch massaging his injured foot. 

Leslie just blinked at him. “Like what?”

“Like this,” Ben said, gesturing around him. “There’s just stuff everywhere. Don’t you want to have a nice, clean place to live?”

Leslie just shrugged. “I don’t know…I like it, and I don’t want to get rid of any of this stuff. They’re memories.”

Ben just sighed as he tugged his shoes on.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On September 16th, she came up with an idea.

“Hey, why don’t I talk to the super about fixing your shower?” Leslie suggested. It was been the third day in a row that Ben had come over to use her shower, and she could tell it was beginning to annoy him that he had to walk across to hers every morning just to stay clean.

“You think that would work?” Ben asked. 

“Sure! Ron’s a good friend…Well, he’ll never admit it, but he’s a good guy. I’m sure he’ll do it if I ask” Leslie explained, taking a bite from her waffles.

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it. But how about I do something for you?” Ben suggested. “If you get this Ron guy to fix my shower, then you let me help you de-clutter your apartment.”

Leslie gulped. “No way. You’ll make me get rid of everything.”

“You don’t have to get rid of anything. We can put it in storage; you’ll still have it. It just won’t be here taking over your place. You could make this really nice if you put some care into it.” Ben told her, sipping the coffee she made him.

Leslie scrunched up her nose adorably. “I think you’re in the wrong profession. You should be a interior designer or something.”

Ben just chuckled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On September 20th, Ben’s shower was fixed.

He watched as Ron, a burly dark haired man with a bushy moustache tinkered in the bathroom, grunting to himself every now and then.

Leslie was by his side. “See, I told you he’d do it for me,” she smiled cheekily.

Ben folded his arms and continued to watch Ron work. “Alright, you came through for me, Knope. It’s time I helped you clear some of that crap in your apartment.”

Leslie sighed dramatically. “Fine. I don’t want to though. I feel like you are forcing me to do this.”

Ben patted her shoulder. “You can do this. I have faith in you.”

“Shower’s fixed,” Ron grunted from the bathroom. “I expect my payment tomorrow.”

“Payment?” Ben questioned. “But you’re the landlord-”

“He’ll pay you; don’t worry,” Leslie quickly cut in, and Ron walked past her with a grunt.

“Ron likes to get a bottle of Lagavulin after fixing an appliance,” Leslie explained. “It keeps him happy.”

Ben was puzzled by the whole way this building was run, but he didn’t question it.

Later that day, he picked up a bottle of Lagavulin and dropped it off at Ron’s office.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On September 25th, Ben learned everything about her.

He learned that she had lived in Pawnee all her life, and her father died when she was 10. He learned that her mother was a stern woman who made people in City Hall tremble in her presence. He learned that she hated basically every kind of vegetable with a fiery passion, and her favourite food was whipped cream.

He learned all this while they organised her messy apartment. Leslie was pretty open about her life and wanted Ben to know all the nooks and crannies. He didn’t mind at all. He liked hearing all of Leslie’s stories about growing up in Pawnee and her job at the Parks Department.

Several instances he caught himself staring at her for a little too long, and blushing furiously when she realised too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On October 2nd, they finally finished.

Leslie looked around at her apartment; she had never seen it so clear. She had forgotten which colour the carpet was, and suddenly inspiration hit her to put a vase of flowers on her dining table or a shelf in a now empty corner.

“Wow,” she gasped, “I love it, it’s so…I don’t know what to say, it’s…it’s…”

She sniffled loudly, and, before Ben knew what was happening, she was pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. 

“Thank you,” she whispered as tears poured down her face.

Ben grinned and rubbed her back as she cried on his shirt. “Hey, it’s ok. What are friends for?”

But he secretly wished they were more than friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On October 15th, he met Dave.

Ben was stepping out of his apartment to get some things from the store when he came face to face with a bulky, ginger haired man in a police uniform.

He let out a yelp in surprise and jumped backwards into the door with a thud. The man frowned.

“You ok there, buddy?” he asked, scowling slightly at Ben’s reaction.

“Y-yeah, I’m great. A-ok coolio beans,” Ben gabbled nervously, feeling sweat trickling down his forehead as the police officer’s eyes searched him over.

He was saved when Leslie opened her apartment door and excitedly squealed, but, to Ben’s dismay, she threw her arms around the officer.

“Dave! I thought you said you were working late tonight!” Leslie gasped, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek.

“I, uh, thought I’d surprise you and take you out for dinner, is that, uh, is that ok?” Dave asked, Ben noting the lack of emotion in his voice.

“That’s great! I’d love to!” Leslie squeaked happily, she closed her door and noticed Ben, still pressed against his door in a state of panic.

“Oh, hey, Ben. Dave, this is Ben Wyatt, my new neighbour. Ben, this is Dave, my boyfriend,” Leslie introduced the two men to each other.

Ben swallowed hard, crap; of course she had a boyfriend. Someone that beautiful and wonderful wouldn’t be single.

Just his luck, really.

Dave stretched out his hand, and Ben shook it with his own trembling hand. Dave grunted a little and wiped his hand on his pants after they finished, Ben’s hand apparently being too clammy for his liking. He then wrapped his arm around Leslie and escorted her down the hall. Leslie waved goodbye to Ben, and his heart pounded in his chest.

Fuck. She had a boyfriend.

And he was a police officer.

Ben promptly unlocked the door to his apartment and vomited in the bathroom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On October 21st, she got sick.

Ben could hear her coughing and spluttering through the thin walls and felt terrible. This building was so draughty anyone would get sick here. He was amazed he hadn’t gotten sick yet, and he had the world’s worst immune system.

He spent the night calling his mom and getting the recipe for their family chicken noodle soup, if there was anything Leslie needed right now it was that.

And maybe some waffles in the morning.

At 7:30 PM, he knocked on her door, the soup in a Tupperware container in his hands. 

She opened the door and looked adorable, a purple blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a wad of tissues in her hand. Her nose was a bright red, and she sniffed loudly, causing her whole face to scrunch up.

“Ben?” she mumbled, her voice hoarse and thick. “What’re you doing here?”

“I heard you were sick, so I made you some soup,” Ben said sympathetically as he lifted the Tupperware up so she could see. “Chicken noodle. It’s an old family recipe.”

“That’s so sweet” She sniffled, coughing wetly into the wad of tissues. “But I’m so exhausted I don’t think I can cook it.”

“I’ll do it for you,” Ben replied kindly. “If…that’s ok?” 

Leslie nodded and let him in. She had set up camp on her couch, and it was covered in used tissues, and there was a bucket close by; Ben could only assume what that was for.

“I’ll heat this up. Go get yourself comfortable,” he told her, and Leslie flopped back down on the couch with a groan.

“I got it from Dave,” she told him. “He had a cold last week, and he must’ve given it to me.”

Ben wrinkled up his nose at the mention of Dave. Where was he now? He certainly wasn’t tending to his sick girlfriend.

“Where is Dave? I thought he’d be here with you,” Ben spoke without realising what he just said before it was too late.

“He’s on the late shift at the police station. Plus he said I needed my rest,” Leslie explained as she sneezed several times loudly.

Ben warmed the soup up on her stove and carried it over to her on a tray. He placed the steaming bowl in front of her, and Leslie inhaled deeply.

“I’d like to say it smells great…but I can’t smell anything,” she mumbled as she grabbed the spoon.

“We’ll just have to see what your taste buds make of it then,” Ben joked softly and perched on the edge of her couch.

“You really take your nose for granted when it’s blocked,” Leslie mused as she brought the spoon to her lips, taking the first mouthful. Almost immediately, her eyes brightened up, and she looked at Ben. “Holy crap, this is amazing!”

“So you approve? This might be a bad time to tell you there’s vegetables in it then,” Ben smirked.

Leslie tried to swipe at him but her hand fell limply by her side. “Dang it, Wyatt. If I weren’t so sick I’d be slapping you silly right now. How could you do this to me? But damn, this is so tasty I can’t be mad…and I don’t have the energy anyway,” Leslie grumbled as she spooned more of the soup into her mouth.

Ben just chuckled and watched as she ate every last drop. Then he took the bowl away from her and sat next to her while ‘Hocus Pocus’ played quietly in the background.

She dosed off on his shoulder, exhausted and full. Ben let her sleep for a little while, knowing that she probably needed it.

 _‘Dave wouldn’t have made her soup’_ he thought stubbornly to himself as Leslie snored against him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On October 31st, Ben got sick.

He lay on the couch with a pounding headache and his nostrils blocked with leaking fluids. Everything ached, and he felt miserable. He had to call in sick to work, and he never did that.

But it was so worth it. Leslie needed him, and he was more than happy to help her when she was sick.

Thankfully, she was just as willing.

She had knocked on the door with a fresh plate of cookies in hand to say thank you for looking after her when he bolted to the bathroom to toss his own cookies. 

“How are you feeling, pukey-pants?” Leslie asked as she draped a warm blanket around him.

Ben opened a bleary eye and saw the same purple blanket Leslie had been wrapped in last week. She had brought it over to keep him warm. “I’d be better if it weren’t for the mean nicknames,” he mumbled, his throat searing in pain as he spoke.

Leslie grinned and rubbed his shoulder, the action causing Ben’s heart to skip a beat. 

“I’m sorry. Do you want me to stay? I can deal with the trick or treaters for you?” she told him.

“I’d like that,” he said to her, “Thanks, Leslie.”

“Anytime,” she replied and pulled a bowl full of candy close to her, ready for the onslaught of trick or treaters.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On November 14th, it was his birthday.

He opened his door to see at least ten presents gathered on his doorstep, all from Leslie. There were balloons and boxes of chocolates and several brightly wrapped presents.

“What the…” he mumbled to himself, just as Leslie stepped out of her apartment.

“Happy birthday!” She cried out happily, reaching over and pulling him into a tight hug.

“How did you know?” Ben asked, still staring at all the presents in front of him.

“I have my ways,” Leslie said with a wink that made Ben’s heart stop for a second. “Are you going to open them now?”

Ben glanced at his watch; he had a few minutes to kill before work. He was running early anyway. “Alright, you want to come in?”

Leslie was already hot on his trail, following him back into his apartment and helping him carry his presents in.

It was amazing. _She_ was amazing. She took notice of every little detail that Ben liked. There were Star Trek special edition DVDS, a miniature Iron Throne from Game of Thrones, a cookbook on how to make Italian food that specified in preparing calzones, a bunch of plaid shirts she knew he’d like, and best of all a signed copy of REM’s ‘Automatic for the People’ on vinyl. He let out an embarrassingly loud squeak when he opened that one, and Leslie just laughed.

“You have the cutest, dopiest surprise look on your face right now,” she giggled.

Ben didn’t care; she had just given him the best presents in the world. If she was his girlfriend he’d pick her up and kiss her until they were desperate for air.

Wait…did he really just think that?

“Oh shoot, I have to go to work,” Leslie gasped and stood up, as she headed towards the door she then pointed back to Ben. “Come over later. I made chocolate cake. You, me, and Dave can share it and drink beer.”

Ben didn’t like that part so much. And after the awkward cake and beer bonanza, he totally went back to his apartment and listened to ‘Everybody Hurt’s on repeat.

Worst. Birthday. Ever.

No…no it wasn’t. Because Leslie was so sweet and kind. And she gave amazing presents.

He had to find a way to top that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On November 18th, Ben met Shauna.

Shauna was a beautiful woman, long legged and brunette. Some people seemed to clock girls like her as Ben’s type. But he was too hung up on Leslie to even notice her incessant flirting.

She worked for the Pawnee journal and attended a press release for Colquitt. Afterward, she approached Ben for a statement on his campaign, and something else.

“So…are you seeing anyone?” she asked, a little too forwardly, but Ben admired her guts.

“Um. No I’m not actually, why do you ask?” he replied, smirking a little.

“Oh, well I was wondering if you’d maybe like to go for dinner or something…sorry if I seem a little too forward, I’m just kind of working on my confidence and I was told to make the first move,” she blushed and wrinkled her nose.

“No, no I like it,” Ben quickly jumped in. “And I’d love to go to dinner with you.”

He jotted down his number on a scrap of paper and handed it to her. She promised she’d call that night to discuss their date.

It wasn’t like he had anything to lose. Things with Leslie were going nowhere with Dave around.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On November 21st, he thought about her in the shower.

Ben should have been thinking about Shauna; he should have been thinking about her long legs and huge breasts. But no. He was thinking about Leslie, and lazily rubbing his hand along his dick as thoughts travelled down a lusty road.

He thought about her perky breasts, and how they would feel in his hands. He thought about her riding him, and watching them bounce above him. He thought about what sounds she’d make when he’d press his face in between her thighs, and he thought about the sounds she’d make when he’d push her so far over the edge she’d crumble and pant loudly.

He came in his hand with a few quick strokes and grunts. Christ. This was not how he saw this night going. 

He quickly cleaned himself up and finished his shower. He could never have Leslie. He had to accept that.

And stop masturbating over her in the shower. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On December 10th, she was crying.

Ben rubbed her shoulders sympathetically as she sobbed into her hands. She had called him to come over, announcing that she and Dave had broken up.

Ben silently fist pumped in his head.

“I don’t know why I’m so upset,” Leslie choked up. “I was the one who ended things with him.”

“The end of a relationship is always hard, and it doesn’t matter who broke up with who; you can be upset about it,” Ben said kindly as he moved his hand along her shoulder to her back.

“I j-just didn’t want to go to San Diego,” she whimpered before burying her face into Ben’s chest and crying even harder.

Ben felt torn. He was so incredibly happy to hear that Dave was out of the picture, especially since things with him and Shauna were going nowhere, and she told him they should see other people after their third date, which was a kick to the balls. But, on the other hand, he wanted to take all of her hurt and pain and toss it down the kitchen sink. She shouldn’t have to feel like this, and it hurt him seeing her so upset.

He wanted to make things right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On December 20th, they went to Pawnee’s Winter Wonderland.

It was Leslie’s project, and she was thrilled by the way it turned out. A huge Winter Wonderland in the old pit outside their apartment block. It was Christmassy and everyone was festive and cheerful.

She linked arms with Ben and dragged him over to meet some of her work colleagues. Donna sized him up and gave Leslie an approving nod, while Jerry stumbled over a few simple words when trying to introduce himself.

Ron was there too, and when Leslie wasn’t looking he tugged him to the side.

“Don’t you hurt her.”

Ben blinked. “Oh. I think you’ve got the wrong idea…she…we’re not dating.”

Ron grunted and raised an eyebrow. “You’re hung up on her. I can tell. Just…give her time…and don’t break her heart.”

He walked away just as Leslie came bouncing back over to him.

“I can’t believe you’re going back to Minnesota for Christmas. Who’s going to come over and watch Christmas movies with me?” she pouted, and Ben chuckled.

“I’ll be back on the 28th,” he told her. “Plus, you’ll be with your family. We can watch movies when I get back.”

Leslie stuck out her pinkie. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Ben linked his own pinkie against hers and shook it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On January 1st, they were both drunk.

Ben had spent New Years Eve at a colleague’s place in Indianapolis; he saw the New Year in and decided to get a cab back at 3:00AM.

He stumbled down the hall into his flat, alcohol fogging his mind when he saw Leslie. She was slumped against her door pathetically clawing at it. On the floor next to her were her door keys.

He grinned and picked them up. “You dropped your keys, milady,” he said with a mock bow.

Leslie cheered loudly. “Yay! You found them! I was lookin’ forever for them!”

She was just as drunk as he was. Maybe even more so. He helped her to her feet, and she staggered against him, he caught her in his arms and they both locked eyes, and he almost swore that she was puckering her lips to him.

Crap, he couldn’t do this. They were both too wasted for this. He guided her into her apartment and let go of her.

“Happy New Year, Leslie,” he whispered, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Leslie blushed pink, and her mouth dropped open, then she turned a violent shade of green and bolted to her bathroom, retching loudly and dropping to her knees in front of the toilet.

Ben quickly followed her towards the bathroom. “Are you ok—”

“DON’T LOOK AT ME!”

She kicked the door shut with the swish of her foot, and Ben thought he better leave her to it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On January 18th, it was her birthday.

He tried to outdo her after all the amazing presents she had left him not only on his birthday but at Christmas too, but he couldn’t. She was far too good at gift giving. 

Damn her.

But he had an idea.

He pitched it to his campaign team two weeks before, and they all agreed it was a great idea to get the people of Pawnee to vote for Colquitt.

Ben called Leslie and told her to dress in something warm, and he took her out to Ramsett Park where there was a huge gathering of reporters, Ben’s campaign team, and Colquitt himself. All of them surrounding what looked like a statue covered with a sheet

“I am here today to announce that I have donated some amount of money to Pawnee’s government to build a statue of the greatest citizen of Pawnee. This handsome devil is truly the spirit of Pawnee, and if he could write or had hands, then I’ll be damned if he didn’t vote for me,” Colquitt said into the microphone, and Ben winced.

“They didn’t want to use my speech,” he whispered into Leslie’s ear. “Something about being too unapproachable.”

Leslie giggled quietly as Colquitt continued. “I would like to present to you, the good folks in Pawnee, a present, and a reminder to get out there and vote in May.”

The sheet was pulled off and Leslie let out a shriek of delight.

Colquitt unveiled the state of Lil Sebastian, and Leslie was one of the first people to witness it.

She clamped her arms tightly around Ben, squeezing him as hard as she could. “Thank you, thank you!” she gasped out. “Best birthday ever!”

Ben was pretty sure he just outdid her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On January 31st, he met Ann.

Ben was coming back from work just as Leslie was walking towards him with an attractive, tanned woman next to her.

“Ben, this is Ann, the most beautiful, elegant nurse in all of Pawnee,” Leslie introduced, and the two shook hands.

“Nice to meet you, Ben,” Ann said, her voice was tainted with something that made Ben feel like she was sizing him up, and her smoky eyes looked him up and down.

“You too,” Ben said, clearing his throat and looking back at Leslie. “So where are you ladies off to?”

“We’re going to get manicures and then go for drinks,” Leslie bubbled excitedly.

“Don’t let me keep you then. Have fun,” Ben said, letting the two ladies pass, and he walked towards his apartment.

“You’re right; he _is_ cute,” he heard Ann’s voice say as he unlocked his door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On February 5th, he laid his skeletons bare.

He was staring at a letter, an angry, hateful letter. How the hell did someone manage to find his address here? He stuffed it bitterly into a ball and tossed it over his shoulder into Leslie’s face.

“Hey! Careful!” she squeaked loudly and picked the crumpled letter up. “What’s this?”

“No don’t read it—”

It was too late. She had uncurled the letter and was skimming it all the way down to the bottom. When she finished she looked back up at him, her mouth gaped open.

“How can anyone be so cruel?” she asked, tears in her eyes.

Ben sighed, unlocking his door and nodding her in. “I did some stupid things when I was younger,” he mumbled.

And there, with Leslie sat on his couch, he told her everything. About running for Mayor at eighteen and winning, about Ice Town, about the impeachment and the derogatory headlines. He told her about how his parents grounded him and how kids at schools would throw garbage at him. And how even though it had been ten years ago, people were still incredibly bitter about it all.

So bitter they’d track him down just to send him hate mail.

He took a deep breath after letting everything pour out. This was his dark secret, and he barely told anyone, but he wanted Leslie to know. He wanted her to know that he wasn’t perfect, and he had some pretty shitty baggage. 

She could decide now to either run or stay.

But she got up from the couch and pulled him into a warm hug, rubbing his shoulder blades and nuzzling into his shoulder. 

And Ben felt himself break. Tears seeped out, and he choked back a sob as Leslie whispered sweet nothings to him to try and calm him down.

“It’s ok, Ben. It’s ok. We’ve all done crappy stuff. I still like you.”

And in that moment, that tiny sentence meant everything.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On February 16th, he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Oh hey, I think the mailman gave me some of your mail,” Leslie said as they both walked out of their separate apartments at the same time.

“Oh, ok,” Ben mumbled, and she handed it over to him.

He took it and snapped. He was fed up of all the flirting and nothing moving forward. He had to take the initiative

It was like what Shauna said all those months ago, about being brave and making the first move. It was all up to him.

He took the mail and pulled her towards him, into his arms and toward his lips. He kissed her hard, as if the world was ending there and then, and this might be their last chance together. His fingertips tingled as they cupped her cheek adoringly.

Ben pulled away, just enough to check that she was ok and that he hadn’t just completely messed things up by doing this, and was pleasantly surprised when she pushed back into him, their lips colliding once more.

They bumped into his door, and Ben managed to unlock it with one hand, pushing it open and leading Leslie inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On March 1st, he asked the question.

“So, this is great,” he said after a night of hot sex. They had literally done every position imaginable. He was exhausted, and she was sore in the best possible way. “But I think we should make it official.”

Leslie sat up, her eyes bright and wide. “Are you going to ask me what I think you’re going to ask me?”

Ben grinned and pretended to get down on one knee. “Leslie Knope, will you be my girlfriend?”

Leslie gasped dramatically, clapping her hands over her cheeks. “But Benjamin, what will my mother say?”

“I can’t hide the way I feel, dammit,” Ben cried out in the same dramatic tone.

Leslie swooned, flopping down on the bed like she had fainted. “Oh my stars. I guess my answer is yes!”

“You _guess?_ ” Ben chuckled and leaned over her, tickling her sides, sending Leslie into a fit of giggles.

“Alright, alright, I give!” Leslie cried out and Ben stopped tickling her. “I would be honoured to be your girlfriend.”

“And I’d be honoured to be your boyfriend,” Ben grinned as he leaned in for a deep kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On March 2nd, she told Ann.

“It’s about damn time” Ann commented as she set a round of drinks on the table. A glass of wine for her, a pina colada for Leslie and a beer for Ben. “I knew you two wanted to get it on as soon as I first met you.”

Ben just grinned and held Leslie’s hand tighter, and she went in for a kiss, causing Ann to scrunch up her nose.

“Ok, I’m happy for you and everything, but come on. Don’t make me feel like a third wheel here tonight,” she said as the couple pulled away.

“I can’t help it. He’s too adorable,” Leslie gushed as she nipped Ben’s cheek.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On April 1st, she was late.

He thought it was an April Fools joke at first. It was one of the most common pranks you could play, telling your partner that you were pregnant, but it wasn’t.

He knew as soon as he saw her tear stained face and the panic in her eyes. There were some things that you just couldn’t fake.

She was two weeks late, and counting.

Leslie curled up on the floor of her bathroom while Ben ran out to buy a pregnancy test. He received several strange looks while buying it, but he didn’t care; he needed to get back to Leslie and fast.

Because if she was pregnant, they had so much to discuss.

She held the test in her hands and looked up at Ben nervously. “Ok so…I’ll go in there and pee…and…” She bit her lip.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he told her and she stood up.

“Um…can you leave? I…don’t think I can pee with you here…stage fright and all,” Leslie mumbled meekly and Ben immediately bolted out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

A minute or so later, he heard the toilet flush and the sound of the faucet running and the door opened. Leslie let him back in and the two sat on the edge of the bathtub, staring at the test, which was resting on the sink.

Ben wrung his hands anxiously. “Are you ok?” he asked, looking over at Leslie who was biting her lip.

“I don’t know…I…I don’t want to think about it,” she whispered, trying not to let Ben see the tears forming in her eyes.

Three minutes passed, and Leslie jumped up, yanking the test back into her hands and staring at it intently. Then she let out a relieved sigh and slumped against the wall.

“Negative.”

“It’s negative?” Ben gasped out and jumped to her side to see for himself. Sure enough, there was just one line, instead of the two they had both been secretly dreading.

Leslie wiped her brow. “Phew, I’m so relieved, I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have your baby one day but…” she paused. “I’m sorry. That’s weird. This is a weird day.” 

Ben chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “I know what you mean. I’m relieved too. We’re not ready, and that’s ok. We’ve only just started dating.”

Leslie nodded and nuzzled into his shoulder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On April 18th, she surprised him.

A note was slid under Ben’s door; he didn’t notice it at first and walked over it a few times, but finally he took notice and lifted it up.

_‘Ben,_

_‘My door is unlocked, Come over when you are ready’_

_‘Leslie’._

He frowned. She was being incredibly secretive tonight. Sure, things had been a little weird after the whole pregnancy scare, but this was very strange. Why didn’t she just come over?

He soon found out why when he opened her door.

There she was, standing in the lounge in nothing but red lacy lingerie. Ben’s mouth dropped open, and his penis practically stood to attention at the sight of her.

“You like?” Leslie asked, running her hands seductively along her sides.

Ben nodded vigorously. “I like,” he growled as he charged towards her and scooped her up into his arms, carrying her towards the bedroom. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On April 25th, she noticed all the little details.

She loved how his hair stuck up everywhere in the mornings; it told her that he had slept well that night. She loved how he made her waffles in the mornings, and couldn’t function without a cup of coffee and snuggles. She loved how he wrapped his whole body around hers while they watched movies and how he always pulled the chair out for her when they went for dinner.

She loved how he kissed, how his hands rang through her hair, tangling his fingers in her blonde curls. She loved how he always asked if she was ok, and could tell when she had a bad day at work.

She loved how great he was at sex, how easily he made her come, and how cocky he looked when she came undone against him. She loved how his cock felt in her hands, and even more so between her thighs.

Most of all, she loved him. But they hadn’t said it yet. She just knew it would come soon.

She was ready; she just wanted to make sure he was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On May 5th, he wasn’t there.

Leslie had just whipped up a fresh batch on brownies that morning, well, 4:53 to be exact. She was just too excited to spend the weekend with Ben. He had been so busy with work recently, and they hadn’t seen much of each other.

She walked across the hall and knocked on his door. There wasn’t an answer. Strange, since she knew Ben would be there. He’d be asleep but he’d be there.

She knocked again, but still no answer. She shrugged and walked back to her place, knowing that he’d wake up soon enough. 

It wasn’t until she looked at her phone everything fell apart.

There was a voicemail from Ben. She pressed the phone to her ear with so many questions running through her head and listened to Ben’s rushed voice, frantically telling her that Colquitt’s campaign was in ruins, and he had been summoned back to Washington to try and get it sorted ASAP. Apparently, they needed their strongest members at their headquarters to try and fix this.

Leslie’s hand went limp by her side. No, this wasn’t happening. Everything came flooding back to her, the conversation that she and Ben had when he told her he’d be leaving in six or seven months.

She turned on the TV and watched Colquitt’s campaign, secretly wishing that he’d lose.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On May 18th, Colquitt was re-elected.

Leslie sobbed into her pillow as Ben’s apartment went back on the market. Ann tried her best to comfort her and rubbed her back as she cried.

“It’ll be ok, Leslie,” Ann said soothingly. “Maybe he’ll stay?”

“H-he won’t” Leslie sobbed. “I won’t let him. He’s g-got so much going in Washington. I’m n-not going to be the reason behind him staying.”

Ann sighed and hugged Leslie tightly, wiping her tears away and whispering softly to her that everything will be ok.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On May 26th, Ben moved out.

He came back to Pawnee to collect the last of his bits. Leslie helped him pack and tried her hardest not to cry as she boxed up his DVDs, taking notice at the Star Trek box set she had bought him on his birthday.

Ben noticed that she was incredibly quiet, and he reached over, touching her hand gently. “Hey, you can come visit me?” he told her. “We can make long distance work.”

Leslie sighed sadly. She knew it would never work, and so did Ben. He was never going to come back here. He said so himself that he travels all over America; he could be out of Washington and in Ohio by next week.

It wouldn’t work. It couldn’t work.

Ben took her hand firmly. “I’m sorry,” he told her. “But…we had a good run right? I’ve had a really great time here, and you’re a great girl…I wish this didn’t have to end.”

Leslie let tears run down her cheeks. “Neither do I.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On June 3rd, new tenants moved in.

Leslie hated them. They were twins and incredibly loud. The girl, Mona-Lisa, was incredibly aggressive and was always trying to fight Leslie, while the boy, Jean-Ralphio, kept hitting on her and singing.

They were disgusting and she hated them.

And she was pretty sure they were doing drugs in the apartment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On June 17th, Mona-Lisa and Jean-Ralphio were kicked out.

Ron caught them snorting cocaine off the toilet seat and booted them out without another word. Leslie was incredibly relieved, and waited to see who the new tenant would be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On July 2nd, there was a knock at her door.

Leslie was enjoying her Friday night of listening to old Spice Girls CDs with a glass of wine and doing paperwork when she heard the frantic knock on her door.

She just assumed it was the Chinese take out she had ordered and clambered off the couch, dressed in her oversized Garfield shirt and stained jogging bottoms and opened the door.

She was not prepared for who was in front of her.

Ben was there, looking dishevelled and his gorgeously messy hair sticking up at all angles. Her mouth dropped open as she tried to find the words to speak to him.

“What are you—”?

“I couldn’t do it,” Ben growled, stepping forward and pressing his lips against hers, his tongue intruding her mouth, and she allowed him with a soft moan. His hands tousled in her blonde hair, and she pressed her body against him.

“I couldn’t leave you…I’ve been miserable since being back in Washington. I quit. I want to be with you here…is that ok?” Ben breathed heavily as he rested his forehead against hers.

Leslie couldn’t stop the tears pouring down her cheeks, and he wiped them away with his thumb. “O-of course it is. God, Ben, I’ve missed you so much too.”

Ben’s lips curved into a warm smile. “I love you, Leslie. So much.”

Her heart pounded in her chest. That was the first time he had said that to her, and it sounded wonderful coming from him. She swallowed and begged her brain to piece itself back together to form the words so she could say it too.

“I love you too, Ben,” she finally choked out, happy tears seeping out of her eyes as Ben enveloped her in a tight hug.

The next day, apartment 7C went off the market again, for good.

**Author's Note:**

> There will be prompts for this universe coming soon, so if you want to see more, come and follow me on tumblr: sakurablossomstorm-blog.


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